


a land of snow and ice

by erdreas_archive



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: M/M, Ship is minor, depends on how u wanna read it, or maybe its major?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 06:30:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16424204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erdreas_archive/pseuds/erdreas_archive
Summary: Sniflheim.Eleven's actually been rather looking forward to coming here. He was intrigued when he saw it on his map -- he's familiar with mountains, but not with snow and ice. The cold is a stranger, one he'd like to become acquainted with.





	a land of snow and ice

**Author's Note:**

> if i didnt still live w my parents id name the hero "eriks bf" on my next playthrough

Sniflheim.  
  
Eleven's actually been rather looking forward to coming here. He was intrigued when he saw it on his map -- he's familiar with mountains, but not with snow and ice. The cold is a stranger, one he'd like to become acquainted with. He might end up hating it, but oh well, curiosity rules all. And, of course, there was the fact that they needed the blue orb.  
  
"Hey, Jade?" Serena asks suddenly, looking over to the other side of the campfire outside the city. "You said you've been here, right?"  
  
Jade nods. "Yeah. Me and Rab came through a while back. He's good friends with the king. It's a nice place, or at least it was then. Now, completely frozen, it might not be."  
  
"But we've got the magic key now!" Serena chirps. "In the morning, after we're all rested up, we'll go and see what there is to see."  
  
"Oh, I  _hope_ it's not as cold inside," Veronica groaned. Despite being in her fuzzy cat suit and sitting by the fire, her cheeks are bright red. "This is unbearable. And Arboria isn't exactly warm."  
  
"I second that, lassie. I'm looking forward to seeing me auld friend again. I hope he isnae injured or anything by all the ice that went and sprung up."  
  
Eleven watches them all with an interested look on his face. If the king's an old friend of Rab's, he must be nice. Maybe willing to give up the orb. After this, they only need one more, and he's got an idea of where it might be.  
  
The ice is pretty, he notices as the conversation continues. The city must normally be prettier, though.  
  
He glances over to his left, and only when he looks at Erik sitting as far away from them as possible while staying within the confines of the camp and staring at the ground does he notice he hasn't been partaking in the discussion. Come to think of it, he hasn't said a word since they got here. Been staring at the ground a lot too.  
  
Eleven slips away (he hasn't been talking, he won't be missed anyways), and sits down about a foot away from his closest friend. They  _were_ friends, right? Maybe they were just allies, but Eleven's pretty sure they were friends. Good ones. Erik still doesn't so much as move his head.  
  
"Hey," Eleven whispers. No response at all. He waits a full minute before asking, "you alright?" He hears a sharp intake of breath, but then nothing. Like he'd almost answered and then decided against it. Eleven can't even see his friend's _face._  
  
He scoots just a little closer after a minute, reaching out to take Erik's hand from where it rests on the ground and intertwining their fingers. For a moment, there's fear he'll just get up and walk away, or even shove Eleven off -- but he doesn't. He doesn't lean his head on his shoulder, like he sometimes did when they were like this at their campfire, but then again, he only does that when they're really alone. He doesn't move so he's right up against Eleven, he doesn't even look up, but he completes the gesture of weaving their fingers together and squeezes Eleven's hand. Eleven squeezes back.  
  
They sit like that for a while, even after the others stop talking and go to sleep. Eleven can feel the eyes at his back and he knows Erik can too, but as everyone else enters the tent, glances is all they are. No one says anything to or about them, which Eleven is kind of thankful for, and eventually, they do separate and go to sleep.  
  


* * *

  
  
...Huh? What's going on?   
  
Eleven blinks sleep from his eyes, yet he doesn't remember ever  _going_ to sleep. And where is he? It's still dark, but once his eyes adjust, he realizes he's in some strange and unfamiliar cottage.   
  
Oh. That's right. The witch had frozen him, and then... he'd passed out. Very heroic.   
  
He glances to his left, for he's only looked to his right so far, and realizes he isn't alone. Sitting next to his bed, half asleep and not yet knowing he's awake, is his blue-haired companion. "Hey."  
  
Erik's head immediately shoots up, and his hands soon follow to rub his eyes. "Oh, hey, El. You're finally up. It's like two in the morning. Sorry, I kinda fell asleep waiting for you to wake up." Eleven blinked in surprise. Erik's been waiting for him? Until this late at night?  
  
_You didn't have to wait for me,_ Eleven wants to say, but he instead asks where the others are, if it's two in the morning and they're the only ones in here.  
  
"Oh, they're out there sleeping," Erik says, waving a hand. "They don't know I'm in here, I don't think." He pauses to stretch out his arms and back. "God, sleeping in a stiff little wood chair like this sucks. We might as well go back to sleep, though. No one's gonna be up for a while yet." It's hard to see the expression on his face, when it's this dark, but he looked exhausted.  
  
Eleven, still laying down, grabs the corner of the blanket and lifts it up. "This bed has more extra room than it looks. Come on."  
  
Erik looks at him with what Eleven  _thinks_ is skepticism written all over his face. "No, I --"  
  
"You forced yourself to stay awake this late so you could watch me," Eleven says, cutting him off. "You should sleep in a bed."  
  
"El --" Erik cuts himself off this time when he sees Eleven's raised eyebrows. "Oh, fine." He kicks off his boots and climbs into the bed, at first staying as close to the edge as possible, but shifting a little closer when his body finally relaxes. "G'night, El," he whispers.  
  
"Night," Eleven echoes. It's still cold. Well, there's a way to solve that. He edges forward and wraps one arm around the other. Erik goes stiff again, but quickly relaxes and moves into the sort-of hug. They end up with their legs tangled together, but Eleven's warmed up, and he's calm, and he drifts off to sleep with ease.  
  
The Luminary wakes up at around ten, and though he's not sure how long it's been that way, when he awakens, he's alone in the cottage.  
  


* * *

  
  
Eleven's concern for his friend's been growing ever since they arrived here. Just now, he'd slipped away without Eleven noticing, and Jade said that he'd spoken to her and asked to be alone until they were ready to leave.   
  
"Start heading to the castle," Eleven instructed a minute later. "I'll catch up. I wanna talk to him."  
  
"You know he said he  _didn't_ want that."  
  
"I know, but -- but he's been acting weird since we got here. I just wanna make sure he's alright."  
  
The others all exchanged a knowing look that went over Eleven's head entirely. "Alright," Jade finally says, "go. We'll need our Luminary with us to see the queen, so hurry."  
  
Eleven nodded, then turned around and tore off in the opposite direction. Erik's waiting just outside the gates, pacing back and forth and covering part of his face with one hand. "Erik," Eleven says to catch his attention.   
  
Erik slowly looks up at him. "You've gotten the orb already, then? Where's everyone else?"  
  
Eleven shakes his head. "No. I'm going to catch up with them in a moment, but -- I just want to be sure you're alright. You've been acting more and more stressed since we came."  
  
"Oh, be quiet," his friend whispers, and the heat in his voice is one Eleven's never experienced. "I asked to be alone. Can't you respect that?"  
  
"Of course I can. But I also don't think you really want to be alone. I'm worried."  
  
"Just go catch up with the others, Eleven. It's not like I'm gonna go drown myself in that river before you decide it's time to leave."  
  
"I... okay."  
  


* * *

  
  
"I'm sorry, " Erik says, breaking the silence that's been hanging between them since they boarded the Salty Stallion. "I was just -- I'm sure you've guessed this, but Sniflheim brings back a lot of bad memories. Before you ask, no, I don't want to talk about it. Not yet, at least. And you were right, as much as I hate to admit it. I didn't totally want to be all by myself, although a little part of me did. I still don't. I generally... do better when not left to my own thoughts, you know?" It's clear what he means. Eleven's head can be cruel to him sometimes too.   
  
He stops to look up at the sky, and Eleven notices the way his eyes glisten with tears that threaten to spill over. Erik blinks a few times, and the glossy effect is gone. Eleven nods, looking down at the way each of both of their hands grasps the railing. "Well, I'll be here for as long as you don't totally want to be alone."

**Author's Note:**

> feedback would be highly appreciated! and now for ur author's rambling
> 
> so....i wrote this last night, and if u read my last fic, i wrote that 27 hrs in. i wrote this one 37 hrs in, just after wrapping up sniflheim. well, today i played for 16 hrs straight and having just learned erik's backstory in act 2, i have one thing to say: fuck.


End file.
